A CHINESE COPPER HAND WARMER AND COVER

A CHINESE COPPER HAND WARMER AND COVER
ZHANG MINGQI MARK, LATE MING DYNASTY

Of octagonal form rising from a flat base, the well-fitted domed cover intricately pierced with repeated floral motifs, incised with a four-character mark reading Zhang Mingqi zhi within a square, with a paper label for the Finer Collection 'HW 31', 470g, 11cm. (2)

Cf. The Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, accession no.2017.56.a-.b for a hand warmer of a very similar design dated to the late Ming dynasty and with a Zhang Mingqi mark within a square. See also Jin Yingyuan & Zhang Zhengwang, Zhongguo minjian shoulu jianshang, p.1 for another related example with a swing handle and a two-character mark.

明晚期 張鳴岐款銅鏤空菊瓣紋八棱手爐

《張鳴岐製》

A native of Jiaxing in Zhejiang province, Zhang Mingqi was regarded as one of the four greatest craftsmen of the late Ming dynasty. Zhang was the most well-known producer of handwarmers of the late Ming dynasty. Because of his mastery, his nickname was Zhanglu, or 'Handwarmer Zhang'.

From the Finer Collection of later bronzes and hand warmers.